


Fending Off Nightmares

by FictionPenned



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Flirting and banter, The X-Files Revival, Tired character finally gets to take a nap; it's a really really good nap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28880457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionPenned/pseuds/FictionPenned
Summary: Mulder pauses in front of his own door as Scully starts to dig in her purse, thoughtfully turning his own room key over in his hand."Hey, Scully, you remember that time a flying cow forced us to share a hotel room?"Questioning eyebrows raise as Scully pivots, eyeing her partner with no small amount of scathing judgement. "Is that really your idea of a come-on?"Written for Bulletproof 20/21
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25
Collections: Bulletproof 20/21





	Fending Off Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SassySnowperson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassySnowperson/gifts).



Exhaustion circles Agents Mulder and Scully like a vulture awaiting the moment when an injured deer finally expires. Though the agents are no strangers to long nights on the job, they are also not as young as they used to be. Tiredness settles in the furrowed lines on their foreheads. It piles extra weight into their under-eye bags. It begs to be noticed not only by its target, but everyone else within range as well. 

Perhaps the only thing worse than knowing that you're getting older is being aware that everyone else knows it, too. 

In the passenger seat of their rental car, Scully stifles a yawn against the back of her hand as Mulder finally pulls up to the motel that is serving as their temporary home in this tiny Midwestern town. Morning sunlight has already begun to creep over the horizon, glancing off glass windows and washing the pavement in a muted golden glow. 

Mulder glances over at his partner as he puts the car in park.

"Come on, Scully. Wake up. The day's barely gotten started," he says with a wink and a weary smile. 

"Ha, ha," Scully replies dryly. Despite the lack of enthusiasm in the feigned laughter, a glimmer of fondness shines in her eyes. She likes him. She's always liked him. Even when they fight, she likes him. "You steal that joke from a movie?" 

Mulder does not hesitate. "The opening of a porno, actually." 

An unmistakable mixture of amusement and purposefully exaggerated disgust curls Scully's upper lip as she opens the car door and pulls herself out of her seat. Her back audibly cracks, and she does her best to ignore it. 

"We're on the clock, Mulder." 

When Mulder's head pops into view on the other side of the car, he's wearing the biggest shit-eating grin that Scully has ever seen. "It's never stopped me before."

The female agent's eyes roll skyward, feigning annoyance as a whisper of a smile betrays her heart. "Don't tell me you're planning to spend the day basking in the 'pleasures' of on demand programming instead of getting some well-needed sleep. You know we're back at this tomorrow." 

Scully braces her shoulders against the chilled wind that cuts through the parking lot, moving towards their assigned rooms: 1013 and 1015. No matter where they are in the country, they're always neighbors. 

Mulder pauses in front of his own door as Scully starts to dig in her purse, thoughtfully turning his own room key over in his hand. 

"Hey, Scully, you remember that time a flying cow forced us to share a hotel room?" 

Questioning eyebrows raise as Scully pivots, eyeing her partner. "Is that really your idea of a come-on? Your game has gotten worse over the years, and that's saying something." 

Mulder merely shrugs, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat. "No harm in cuddling up a little while we nap. We could be kind benefactors and save this place a few dollars in heating costs."

The raised eyebrows lingers as she lends her voice to a playful deflection. "It's against Bureau rules."

Mulder returns her banter in kind. "Need I remind you that you spent years harboring a Fox-Mulder-Shaped-Fugitive in your home?" 

The 'and your bed' goes unsaid. They both know that it is implied. 

A steamy breath slips between Scully's parted lips as she considers the proposition. Even though she and Mulder have been separated for some time now, she would be lying if she said that she doesn't miss having him in her life in a more personal capacity. It always was nice to have someone to curl up with at the end of the day, someone to help fend off nightmares and a keep away the crushing darkness that haunts her soul. 

"Okay. You win," she says after a brief pause, instinct and exhaustion and unshakable fondness having gotten the better of her commitment to rules and logic and her own sanity. "But _only_ cuddling. If I don't sleep, I'm going to end up biting off the local sheriff's head the next time we see him." 

Mulder sidles a bit closer, bumping up against Scully with a playfully dropped shoulder. "If you charged entry at the door, you'd make a killing. I get the feeling that he's not a popular guy around here, and not just because half the town thinks he might be a werewolf." 

Scully's partially frozen fingers fumble with the lock for a long moment before she finally manages to get the door open. Once Mulder steps past her and enters the dim and dusty space, she follows closely behind. 

The pair moves wordlessly throughout the room as they shake off both their suits and the worries of a night on the job, falling easily back into old habits from the more amorous period of their life. 

It is only when they are finally curled up together beneath the worn and slightly stained sheets that Scully says, "And Mulder?" 

"Hmm?" He hums the question against the delicate skin of her scalp, rustling strands of red hair and sending a shiver through her body. 

"If you tell Skinner about this, I'll kill you myself." 

A yawn saps some of the power and aggression from Scully's words, but in the end, she doesn't need it. 

By the time Mulder answers, Scully is already halfway asleep, lulled into peace by the warmth of Mulder's body and the comfort of the arm slung over her waist. 

"I wouldn't dream of it, Dana." 

Another heartbeat and a single breath later, they are both dead to the world, completely ignorant of the rising sun behind the closed blinds and the rustling that travels through paper thin walls as the other temporary residents of the motel get ready to conquer the day. 


End file.
